This invention relates to a garment hanger and more particularly to a garment hanger that is adapted to deter or at least discourage the theft of the hanger and a garment draped thereon.
Stock shrinkage and other unexplained losses of inventory are commonly attributable to theft by both professional and amateur thieves. Whereas the latter will frequently remove a garment from its hanger, the former seldom do so, knowing that an empty hanger is readily spotted by sales staff and alerts store personnel to the fact that a theft has occurred.
Solutions proposed in the prior art to prevent theft by shoplifters include garment hangers that are provided with locking means which attach both the garment and its hanger to a hanging rail to prevent unauthorized removal. Another answer to the problem, proposed by the prior art, is a transparent enclosure that is locked to its mounting rail but still permits the garment to be viewed through transparent sidewalls.
Still another method that is commonly used is the attachment to the garment of a device that is detectable, the detection of which sounds an alarm to indicate when a garment or other article of apparel is being removed from the premises without authorization.
While the foregoing apparatus and methods are each effective in their own right, each represents a relatively expensive solution to the problem of shoplifting. Moreover, closer attendance by store personnel is required to unlock and remove garments from their respective hangers and to replace same in the event that a prospective buyer is disinterested in making a purchase.